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January 27

Business in 1827Le Héros anchored in San Francisco Bay to trade for furs to sell in China. But because its goods did not interest the Indians or Mexicans, the ship spent nearly two years trying to trade its cargo.

Engraving of San Francisco Bay from Duhaut-Cilly’s Voyage Autour du Monde published in Paris in 1834-1835.

Fairs in 1894 The Midwinter International Exposition opened in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. It featured an Electric Tower, a Fine Arts Building and a Royal Pavilion.

Midwinter International Exposition in San Francisco (1894).

Music in 1962 The Chubby Checker Twist Party at the Cow Palace, attended by 17,000 fans became the first big rock concert in Bay Area history.

Transamerica Pyramid.

Architecture in 1969 Transamerica Corp. announced plans to build a tower in San Francisco. Work on the 853-foot Pyramid was completed in 1972.

Crime in 1969 Byron Booth and Clinton Smith, convicts, escaped from the California Institution for Men at Chino. The next day they bought tickets to fly from Los Angeles to Miami. They hijacked the plane and it landed in Cuba. Officials removed the hijackers then the plane continued to Miami.

Transportation in 1971 BART’s tunnel to the Montgomery Street Station was`holed thru,’ completing the tunneling for the two-level Market Street subway after six years.

BART map.

Sports in 1973 UCLA’s basketball team won its 61st game in a row, setting a NCAA record.

Accidents in 1984Michael Jackson burned his head when a special effects accident caught his hair on fire while recording “Billie Jean” for a Pepsi Cola commercial in Los Angeles.

Crime in 2009 Kraft Foods and Frito-Lay managers admitted to taking $318,000 in bribes from Randall Rahal, a former sales broker for SK Foods of Lemoore, a major Central California tomato processor.

Crime in 2009 Police found seven people dead at a home in Wilmington near Los Angeles. Ervin Lupoe killed his children and wife before killing himself. Both parents had been recently fired from their jobs.

Business in 2010Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s iPad to bridge the gap between smartphones and laptops at MacWorld in San Francisco.

Zinn in 2010 Howard Zinn, historian, teacher and political activist, died of a heart attack in Santa Monica at age 88. His work included A People’s History of the United States (1980).

Great Seal of California.

Government in 2012 The California Air Resources Board approved strict vehicle emissions called the Advanced Clean Car program. It would reduce greenhouse gas emission by 50% by 2025.

January 28

Business in 1880Henry Casebolt, San Francisco inventor of the cable car grip, sold his interest in the Sutter Street Railway.

Sutter Street Railway’s last horse-drawn car (1913).

Los Banos, Merced County.

Post Offices in 1890A U.S. post office opened at Ingomar, near Los Banos in Merced County. The post office closed in 1921.

Crime in 1911San Francisco police arrested 145 people for gambling in a raid on a San Francisco poolroom.

Beverly Hills in 1914Beverly Hills incorporated.

Beverly Hills.

Accidents in 1948A plane chartered by U.S. Immigration Services carrying 32 people crashed west of Coalinga. There were no survivors.

Accidents in 1969An oil well off the Santa Barbara coast became the largest oil spill in the U.S. at the time. Today it ranks third after Deepwater Horizon (2010) and Exxon Valdez (1989) spills. In response to this blowout, modern environmental protection laws were passed.

Music in 1985“We are the World” was recorded in Hollywood by the group USA for Africa to provide funds for famine relief. It featured many famous singers and sold 20 million copies.

Accidents in 1986An oil spill began when the tank barge Apex Houston lost a hatch cover while being towed from the Shell Oil refinery in Martinez to Long Beach. It spilled some 25,800 gallons of crude oil, killing some 6,500 seabirds along Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties.

Accidents in 1994A helicopter crashed into a San Jose office building, killing the pilot.

Gunner Lindberg murdered Thien Minh Ly (1996).

Crime in 1996 Gunner Lindberg, of the Insane Criminal Posse, murdered Thien Minh Ly at a Tustin high school in a racially motivated attack. Lindberg was convicted and sentenced to death.

Business in 2002Palm Inc., in Sunnyvale, introduced a handheld computer with wireless e-mail and message service.

Palm Inc.

Jim Gray.

Gray in 2007 Jim Gray, age 63, acclaimed computer scientist, disappeared while sailing from San Francisco to the Farallon Islands, some 25 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge.

Business in 2008 Security costs for Governor Schwarzenegger and other top state officials reportedly approached $38 million a year.

Pegasus Wireless.

Crime in 2008Pegasus Wireless, a Fremont technology company, filed for bankruptcy. Stephen Durland, its financial officer, was later convicted of fraudulent stock sales and Jasper Knabb, its CEO, was sent to federal prison for stock fraud.

Accidents in 2008One worker was killed and two others badly injured when a 5-story power plant tower collapsed during demolition in San Francisco’s Hunters Point neighborhood.

Business in 2010Dhar Mann, age 25, opened iGrow, a shop for medical marijuana in a 15,000-square-foot warehouse near the Oakland Airport.

Protests in 2012Oakland riot police fought with anti-Wall Street protesters, fired tear gas and bean bag projectiles and arrested some 200 people in clashes that injured three officers and at least one demonstrator.

Crime in 2012A California police officer under investigation for sex with a minor was shot and killed by fellow officers as they tried to arrest him in Santa Maria.

January 29

Inventors in 1878Clara L. Bradley, of San Francisco, patented a ladies underwear; “as by this improvement only one skirt is necessary, and this one possesses all the advantages of the several skirts now generally worn, and also to furnish a skirt which is peculiarly adapted to the present style of close-fitting garments.”

Clara Bradley underwear patent , 1878

Hollywood in 1958Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, movie stars, married. Newman, the legendary actor and political activist, created a food company, Newman’s Own, and a foundation that “uses the power of giving to help transform lives and nourish the common good.”

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

Movies in 1959 Walt Disney, in Burbank, released the animated musical film “Sleeping Beauty,” the last Disney animated fairy tale until “The Little Mermaid” in 1989.

Music in 1967Mantra-Rock Dance, a benefit for the San Francisco Hare Krishna temple, was one of the great events in hippie history and probably the first rave.

Freddie Prinze, Sr.

Prinze in 1977Freddie Prinze, Sr., comedian and actor, shot himself and died in Los Angeles at age 23. His starred in “Chico and the Man” (1974-1977) and fathered Freddie Prinze, Jr., also an actor.

Sports in 1980 The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 154-153, in quadruple overtime. The Lakers won the NBA championship that season.

Architecture in 1985Goldie Shack, one of 5,610 shacks built to house people following the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, was moved to the San Francisco Presidio for preservation.

Earthquake shacks (1906).

Sports in 1994The San Francisco 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowl titles; 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989 and 1994.

Sports in 2002The San Diego Chargers hired Marty Schottenheimer as their 13th head coach

Great Seal of California.

Business in 2009A California judge ruled that Governor Schwarzenegger could force state workers to take furloughs to close the budget gap.

January 30

Cities in 1847Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco by order of Alcalde (mayor) Bartlett who wanted the town to have an American name following the Mexican American War.

Nero, a Donner Party dog.

Overland trail in 1847Patrick Breen, traveling with the Donner Party, wrote in his diary that in payment for a debt, John and Edward Graves took Mrs Reid’s goods and hides that she and her family would live on, leaving her with just two pieces of hide.

Hackman in 1931Gene Hackman, actor, was born in San Bernardino. In a 50-year career, he won two Academy Awards, including best actor in “The French Connection” (1971).

Jill Boothe.

Boothe in 1955Jill Boothe, Los Angeles-born national skiing champion, crashed and broke her neck while trying to make the U.S. Olympic team. Paralyzed below her shoulders, she spent the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Boothe wrote, typed and painted using her neck and shoulder muscles with the help of a hand brace.

Computers in 1982Richard Skrenta wrote the first PC virus code disguised as an Apple boot program called “Elk Cloner.” It caused no damage but was a practical joke.

Elk Cloner (1982).

Ilene Misheloff, age 13 (1989).

Misheloff in 1989 Ilene Misheloff, age 13, disappeared in Dublin while walking home from school and has not been seen since.

Transportation in 1993Los Angeles inaugurated the Metro Red Line, the city’s first modern subway.

Red Line mid-Wilshire.

Sports in 1996Magic Johnson returned to play for the Los Angeles Lakers four years after retiring from professional basketball.

Chevron.

Business in 2009Chevron, in San Ramon, reported a record $23.93 billion annual profit.

Protests in 2011Some 800 to 1,000 people protested against the influence of Charles and David Koch, brothers who finance conservative causes. They disrupted a political retreat in Rancho Mirage run by the Kansas billionaires.

Education in 2012Claremont College admitted to submitting false SAT scores since 2005 to improve the school’s ranking.

Claremont Colleges.

January 31

Overland trail in 1847Patrick Breen, travelling with the Donner Party, wrote in his diary: “Lantron Murphy died last night about 1 o’clock. Mrs. Reid & John went to Graves this Morning to look after her goods.”

Col. John C. Fremont, Republican candidate for the President of the United States by Baker & Godwin

Government in 1848John C. Frémont was convicted by a military court of mutiny, disobeying a superior officer and military misconduct. He later became the first Republican Party presidential candidate.

Orphans in 1851The San Francisco Orphan’s Asylum was founded, the first in California. It helped kids whose parents died on their way to the Gold Rush.

Grey in 1872Zane Grey, author, was born. He was famous for Western fiction, like Riders of the Purple Sage (1912). Many of his books became screenplays for television and movies. His home in Altadena is a registered historic place.

Accidents in 1957A commercial airliner and a military fighter jet collided then crashed into Pacoima Junior High School in the San Fernando Valley. Seven people were killed and 75 injured.

Business in 1972Herb Peterson created the Egg McMuffin at his Santa Barbara McDonald’s franchise.

Goldwyn in 1974Samuel Goldwyn, film mogul, died in Los Angeles at age 95. He founded and and ran several film studios in Hollywood in the early 1910s, including MGM Studios.

Continental Walk for Peace and Social Justice (1976).

Protests in 1976Some 1,000 people joined the Continental Walk for Disarmament and Social Justice led by comedian Dick Gregory and Rev. Ralph Abernathy in San Francisco. Protestors marched across the U.S., reaching Washington, D.C. that October.

Sports in 1988The Washington Redskins beat the Denver Broncos, 42-10, in Super Bowl XXII, played in San Diego.

Kelley in 2012Mike Kelley, artist, committed suicide in South Pasadena at age 58. He worked with found objects, drawings, assemblies, performance and video. He was described as “one of the most influential American artists of the past quarter century …”

Site of Alaska Airlines crash (2000).

Accidents in 2000Alaska Airlines flight #261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, killing all 88 people aboard. It was reportedly caused by inadequate maintenance.

February 1

Literature in 1836The Pilgrim, with Richard Henry Dana aboard, sailed from Santa Barbara to return to Boston. Dana dropped out of Harvard to sail for Alta California to trade for hides and tallow. His adventures became the basis for one of the best eyewitness accounts of Mexican California, Two Years Before the Mast (1840).

Santa Barbara in January 1835

San Quentin Prison.

Prisons in 1939Some 4,00 prisoners at San Quentin Prison, in Marin County, went on a hunger strike to protest the prison’s food.

Post offices in 1961A U.S. post office opened in Rancho Mirage. The community near Palm Desert in Riverside County, has been a popular destination for the rich and famous since the 1930’s.

Crime in 1979Patty Hearst was released from a San Francisco prison. The daughter of wealthy newspaper family was kidnapped by political revolutionaries, brainwashed, and joined in a bank robbery.

Radio in 1986 KHJ-AM in Los Angeles changed its call letters to KRTH. It began on August 11, 1941 as the first FM station in Los Angeles. Today it plays oldies.

Gambling in 1987Terry Williams, of Los Gatos, won the largest slot machine payoff in Reno, Nevada to that time. He won $4.9 million after getting four lucky “7s” on a machine.

Jane Novak.

Novak in 1990 Jane Novak, silent film era actress, died in Woodland Hills at age 94.

Sports in 1992Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants outfielder, signed baseball’s highest single year contract at that time, $4.7 million.

Crime in 2002Winona Ryder, actress, was charged with shoplifting at a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills.

Danielle van Dam.

Crime in 2002Danielle van Dam, age 7, disappeared from her San Diego suburban home. David Westerfield, a neighbor, was convicted of her kidnapping and murder and sentenced to death.

Business in 2005Sun Microsystems, of Santa Clara, began selling information technology on a pay-per-use basis, offering computing power for $1 per hour.

Sun Microsystems.

Vernon in 2005John Vernon, character actor, died in Los Angeles at age 72. He played nasty Dean Wormer in “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978).

Chevron.

Business in 2011Chevron Corp., in San Ramon, sued a team of lawyers who fought the company over oil field pollution in Ecuador. Chevron claimed the lawyers tried to extort some $113 billion related to an 18-year-old lawsuit.

Government in 2012The California Public Utilities Commission approved a program for PG&E customers who refused SmartMeters and wanted to keep their analog gas and electricity meters. Those customers paid $75 plus $10 per month.

February 2

Forts in 1811Russian settlers established Ft. Ross on the Sonoma coast. It was a base for fur hunters and a warm weather supplier for the Russian colonies in Alaska. Colonists included 25 Russians and some 80 Aleut Indians. Today Fort Ross is a State Historic Park.

Watercolour of Fort Ross by I.G. Voznesenskii (1841)Source: Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, St.Petersburg

Gold Rush in 1848The first Chinese, two men and a woman, reached San Francisco on the American brig Eagle. Why they went to California and what became of them is unknown.

Japanese delegation to the U.S. (1860).

Mexican American War in 1848The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, formally ending the Mexican American War. 25,000 Mexicans and 12,000 Americans died in the 17-month old conflict. The U.S. acquired California, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and part of Colorado.

Novato.

Post offices in 1856A U.S. post office opened in Novato. Today’s Marin County community of about 51,904 people was originally home to Coast Miwok villages called Chokeche, Puyuku, and Olompali.

Movies in 1914Charlie Chaplin’s first film appearance, “Making a Living” premiered. It was 13 minutes long and also featured the Keystone Kops.

Race relations in 1934The San Francisco Police Commission issued regulations for dance nightclubs that included a rule against black and white people dancing together.

Race relations in 1942A Los Angeles Times column, following Japan’s bombing Pearl Harbor, urged security measures against Japanese-Americans, arguing that a Japanese-American “almost inevitably … grows up to be a Japanese, not an American.”

A Japanese American grocery. Photograph by Dorothea Lange (March 1942).

Fires in 1969Fire destroyed a 22-room mansion at Rancho Olompali in Marin County occupied by members of “the Chosen Family,” a loose-knit hippie commune led by Donald McCoy.

Parks in 1992
Bert Parks, longtime “Miss America” emcee, died in La Jolla at age 77.

Bert Parks at “Miss America” contest (1958).

Kelly in 1996 Gene Kelly, dancer, actor and choreographer, died in Beverly Hills at age 83. He was famous for his part in the musical film “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952).

Crime in 1997Authorities in Vallejo recovered 500 pounds of stolen dynamite and arrested two men for bombings three bank teller machines and a courthouse wall.

Matthew Carrington.

Carrington in 2005Matthew Carrington, age 21, died after drinking excessive amounts of water while doing calisthenics during a hazing ritual for a Cal State Chico fraternity.

Security in 2006 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in Livermore, announced plans to install machine guns to deter terrorists. They would fire 4,000 rounds a minute with a range of nearly a mile.

Gatling gun at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.

Ivan Santos.

Santos in 2007 Ivan Santos, age 15, was shot and killed in San Pablo. Police arrested two men and a boy who shot him for dressing like a rival gang member.

Arriola in 2008Gus Arriola, cartoonist, died in Carmel at age 91. His Gordo cartoon strip, published from 1941 to 1985, was one of the first in the U.S. to celebrate Mexican culture.

Gordo (August 19, 1956).

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara home of the San Francisco 49ers.

Sports in 2012 The NFL announced plans to give the San Francisco 49ers $200 million for its new $1 billion stadium in Santa Clara.

Parks in 2013A 165-foot South Bay Power Plant was demolished in San Diego to make room for a city park.

February 3

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

Ranchos in 1838Rancho La Carbonera, a Mexican land grant was deeded. It covered 2,225 acres between the San Lorenzo River and Branciforte Creek in today’s Santa Cruz County. The name means “coal mine.”

Overland trail in 1847People in San Francisco called a meeting to organize a rescue of the Donner Party. The first rescuers included James Reed, whose wife and daughter were trapped in the Sierras.

Post offices in 1853A U.S. post office opened in Woodland, originally called Yolo City. Today it is part of the Sacramento – Arden – Arcade – Roseville metropolitan area.

Newspapers in 1857The Bee, a Sacramento newspaper, debuted. It has been the the region’s leading newspaper for more than 150 years.

Commonwealth Club of California.

Clubs in 1903Edward F. Adams, San Francisco Chronicle editorial writer, founded the San Francisco Commonwealth Club as a forum for discussing disputed questions. For over 100 years, it has hosted conversations with world leaders in politics, science and the humanities.

State symbols in 1911The bear flag became the California state flag. The original flag was made in Sonoma for the 1846 revolt. It was lead by John Frémont to free Alta California from Mexico before the Mexican American War.

California state flag

Transportation in 1918Twin Peaks Tunnel opened in San Francisco. At 2.27 miles long, it is among the longest streetcar tunnels in the world.

Movies in 1945Walt Disney Productions, in Burbank, released “The Three Caballeros,” a Latin American musical adventure combining live-action with animation.

San Francisco Giants staff gather at Candlestick Point to promote where the new home of the Giants will be built (1957).

Sports in 1960 Candlestick Park, the new home of the San Francisco Giants, was officially turned over to the team.

Music in 1968Country Joe and the Fish, Berkeley-based psychedelic rock band known for musical protests against the Vietnam War, released “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag.”

Science in 1984John Edmond Buster, at UCLA School Medical Center, performed the first embryo transfer from one woman to another, producing a live birth.

Exploratorium. Photograph by Bruce Damonte.

Oppenheimer in 1985 Frank Oppenheimer, physicist and educator, died in Sausalito at age 73. He worked on the Manhattan Project, was politically targeted by McCarthyism and later began the Exploratorium, an interactive science museum in San Francisco.

Sports in 1987 The San Diego Yacht Club celebrated the victory of skipper Dennis Conner and the Stars and Stripes over Australia, sweeping the America’s Cup series.

King Ubu Gallery.

Duncan in 1988 Robert Duncan, visionary poet, died. He and his partner Jess Collins, co-founded San Francisco’s King Ubu Gallery in 1953, which later became a place for Beatnik poetry readings.

Cassavetes in 1989John Cassavetes, actor and director, died in Los Angeles at age 60. His films included “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974), “Gloria” (1980) and “Love Streams” (1984).

Kulp in 1991 Nancy Kulp, actress, died in Palm Desert at age 70. She played Miss Jane Hathaway in “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962-1971).

Meadows in 1996Audrey Meadows, actress, died in Los Angeles at the age of 71. She played Alice Kramden on the 1950s television comedy “The Honeymooners”.

Environment in 1998 Heavy rain continued to thrash the state and Northern California rivers flooded over their banks.

Phil Spector.

Crime in 2003 Phil Spector, legendary rock-n-roll producer, was arrested in Los Angeles for murder after Lana Clarkson was found dead in his mansion.

Government in 2006 PG&E agreed to pay $295 million to settle lawsuits over drinking wells polluted with the toxic chemical chromium.

PG & E.

Liderman in 2008 Jorge Liderman, age 50, a composer and professor at U.C. Berkeley, was struck and killed by a BART train at the El Cerrito station in a suspected suicide.

Angel of Grief at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.

Crime in 2012 Thieves stole 225 bronze vases from Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma. Some 300 more were stolen from another part of the cemetery on February 18. The vases were valued at over $85,000.

Accidents in 2013 A tour bus crashed into other vehicles on Hwy. 38 in San Bernadino County, killing seven people.